If I Fell
by Covetedoutcomes
Summary: In the aftermath of a tragedy – the loss of his parents, Eli finds himself orphaned and at the mercy of a family he's never known, his estranged godparents the Edwards and their daughter Clare. When these two worlds collide, the buried feud that once split both families resurfaces. Collaboration w/whisper2ascream333
1. My Life For Hire

**Greetings! I'm really excited to say that my best friend, whisper2ascream333, and I are writing this story as a collaboration. She'll be writing from Eli's perspective, and I'll be writing from Clare's. She's a brilliant writer, my favorite in fact. Needless to say, this collaboration is a big deal to me. **

**Each chapter, the perspective will shift. We're starting with Eli's. **

**Enjoy! Reviews are much appreciated from both of us. **

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___Somebody give me a sign,  
____That everything's going as planned,  
____And then everything falls away,  
____Into the darkness of this shallow place.  
____The detail is striking,  
____The room's cold and frightening,  
____You'll kick and you'll scream,  
____You'll try everything to survive,  
____But you should know your fate by now._

Summer nights were unforgiving to most, the heat from outside seemed unrelenting as it reached new highs. The beads of perspiration falling from Eli's face went unnoticed as he slept fitfully, tossing and turning against the hard mattress. In his mind now were thoughts he wouldn't likely forget, especially not now. One week was far too soon to do away with the memory of what happened. And like the masochist that he was, Eli wanted to cling to it.

Within the blink of an eye life as he knew had been turned upside down, snatched from his hands before he even had a chance to truly react. He could recall it all so vividly, feel the sudden impact, hear the shattering and feel as his skin was torn in different places all at once. It was a wonder he was even here today when the others weren't so lucky.

It started out like any other day, Eli then completely blindsided by the tragic turn of events. Had he known, had the smallest semblance of a clue, Eli would have done all he could have to changed that night. Perhaps then things in his life wouldn't have led him here to a too small bed hooked up to machines to test the most basic in human functions.

As he slept now his mind was overrun with images of that fateful night. He remembered every single detail about it, the glowing green digits of the dashboard's clock stating the time prominently. 1:17 in the morning, he recalled. The song blaring out of the speakers was Pink Floyd's 1975 classic_Wish You Were Here._

The irony of it all didn't escape Eli's notice. If anything it felt like a sick joke from a higher power he didn't believe in.

He could remember the distinct sound of his father's singing, Eli protesting in the backseat the entire time as he crooned off key obnoxiously, earning a round of applause from his mother who sat beside in the passenger's seat. She rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek, extra praise for getting under Eli's skin.

Eli grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest, muttering unintelligibly about them getting a room. But for as much as he liked giving his parents a hard time, he was glad to see they hadn't lost their spark over the years. If anything it seemed to him that they fell in love more each day.

He was certain that wasn't a life he would ever have for himself but he could live vicariously through them in that regard. He was a self-proclaimed loner, far preferring his alone time rather than getting too close to other people.

There was far too much to lose when you were invested in someone else and that seemed more like a liability than an asset in Eli's eyes. He was content with just his parents, the trio creating a bond so tight that nothing could stand in the way.

Unless it was something permanent - like that of death.

As they drove along the darkened highway with nothing but time on their hands, Eli couldn't have imagined a better night. School was still far enough away that it wasn't a concern of his, not that it ever truly was. He excelled in English when he put his mind to it. Writing was an innate skill, one he didn't put much stock in though his pieces were quite exceptional.

He thought of perhaps turning that into a career one day. Maybe he could be a novelist of some kind and get his works published. It was all a pipe dream at this point. Guidance counselors over the years encouraged him to be more "proactive", too make sure he didn't "waste his potential." It all went in one ear and right out the other, Eli allowing their warnings to roll off his back.

He was as stubborn as they came, always assuming that there would be more time. He'd get to his assignments in fifteen more minutes or he'd clean up his room next weekend. It was with the most menial things that he took the concept of time for granted.

But he had quickly learned how foolish he had been to believe that something as fickle as time could ever be a guarantee. It was a tough lesson he had to learn, one of which he wished he could trade in for something less personal but fate stepped in and dealt him the cruelest of hands.

Once more he turned in his sleep, his pulse quickening beneath his translucent skin as the floodgates of that night continue to pour through.

His heartbeat was erratic but he was far too lost in his sleep to stop it, never mind the onslaught of images. He could hear his mother screaming, that sound was one that would haunt him until his dying day, he was sure of it.

The full force of the truck hitting into their Mustang knocked the breath clear out of his lungs. He thought for certain he had died. It was a sheer miracle he had made it out alive but if he were being honest, he would say he would have preferred to endure the fate they had.

He couldn't see the point in living now. Without his family or any friends to show for, he found himself pondering the same question time and time again. What was the point?

He didn't have anyone that would miss him nor did he have any real aspirations he would have genuinely missed out on. He wasn't a popular kid in school but quite the opposite. He was the one everyone knew to stay away from.

Whether it was his affinity for black clothing or the permanent scowl on his lips that warned people to stay back, it was apparent the message had been received loud and clear.

That was just the way he wanted it though. He had never been one for company, attributing most of the blame for that on the fact that he was an only child. He remembered growing up and asking his parents once why they never tried again. His mother citied the reason as being they had the perfect child and didn't see a need to have another. His father gave an opposing view saying he was a handful enough and they didn't want to punish themselves a second time around.

He knew it was all in jest. His parents were the equivalent of what a best friend would be to other teenagers. He never thought it strange that they were adults, moreover his parents. It seemed to be an unspoken rule that all teens were meant to have tumultuous relationships with their folks.

But for Eli, that couldn't have been further from the truth.

If anything his parents enabled his reckless behavior, long since adapting the notion of living by one cardinal mantra: sex, drugs and rock 'n roll. His parents were the very definition of free spirits who encouraged Eli to do the same. He didn't have a curfew or many rules to abide by, if any at all. He had never been forced to address his parents as mom and dad, instead looking to them as equals and using their first names.

Nothing about the Goldsworthy household could be considered traditional or conventional. Eli wouldn't have had it any other way. He liked being his own person, having the chance to test the limits of his life and seek the thrills he thought would be the most satisfying. It had gotten him into a few scrapes here and there but nothing too incriminating to keep him down for long.

His parents always had his back in any circumstance and never stifled him from getting the chance to learn from his mistakes. According to them it was all a part of growing up, living life by trial and error.

It always seemed harmless enough to him and still did. But without their guidance now, Eli wasn't sure how he was to be expected to pick up the broken pieces of his life. Even if he did, the picture would never be complete again, not with two such crucial pieces missing.

He was angry, hurt, sad and a slew of other emotions. It was enough to make him want to scream or finish the job the accident was so keen on sparing him from. He didn't have a faith to speak of but he would have given anything to be with his parents now, wherever they were.

Now in the stark white hospital bed with an uncomfortable mattress and the nauseating scent of antiseptics lingering in the air, Eli was constantly on edge. He hardly saw how this would be a benefit to him. He knew he would be able to leave soon but then what? He would be thrust back into the cold world with the heavy reality that his family was gone in the most permanent of ways. This reprieve of sorts would only do more harm than good, he was sure of it.

He groaned in his sleep, subconsciously gripping his sides as his body furled in on itself. Tears slipped from his eyes as he conjured up the accident, his mind torturing him extensively. He could feel the jagged glass cutting into his skin from the blown windows. His heart lurched at the phantom memory of the car turning over.

The blood in his veins raced at such great speeds, his adrenaline running too high for someone in such a stupor. It was all too much for him to take. The blood curling sound of tires screeching was the last thing he heard, piercing his eardrums to the point of irritation.

"No!" he called out, his breathing heavy and labored.

Swallowing the dry feeling his throat, Eli panted, working to wipe the sweat off his brow as he looked down at himself.

The blanket over him felt as if it weighed a ton, the thick fabric almost paralyzing now as he was confined to the hospital bed. He couldn't silence his heart; the blood coursing through so quickly that for a moment Eli worried it would break free of his chest.

His lips were chapped and still bruised from the cuts he'd received that night but he couldn't find it within himself to care. His gaze soon moved to the walls, wishing more than anything that he could be back in the comfort of his own home. He longed for the posters that covered every possible square inch of the green walls. He missed sleeping in his own bed but more than anything, he missed his parents.

He knew this feeling wasn't one that would ever fade away nor did he really want it to diminish. The overwhelming sense of guilt that overtook him was indescribable. If it were at all possible he would have traded places with them in a heartbeat so that they could still be here today. He didn't have much to offer the world and sincerely doubted his untimely departure would be too great a loss in anyone's eyes.

But this was the situation he now found himself in, much to his dismay. Nothing about this could be negotiated or done away with wishful thinking. His parents were not coming back and that was a conclusion Eli would never be able to fully accept.

He focused on each intake of breath until he got it down to a suitable pace. He raked a shaky hand through his disheveled locks, sucking in a quick breath. He wasn't sure what time it was but he knew it was late, past twelve for sure.

The moonlight poured into the room through the open blinds, washing the space with an eerie glow that oddly enough lulled Eli a bit. He was far too restless to go to sleep again, every nerve ending in his body completely frayed from the bout of nightmares that had seeped in for yet another night. It was so routine now but Eli still wasn't sure how to get used to it. He would try pushing through the memories but that only put him more on edge, almost paranoid each time a noise sounded from outside.

He chewed on the broken skin on his lip, his hand still in his hair as he gripped the locks and sat up in bed. Dropping his hand after a moment, he let out a deep sigh. He wasn't sure what was to come next for him, where he would end up. He was still a teenager and couldn't simply pick up and fend for himself. Not much in life scared Eli but the uncertainty of the road ahead troubled him.

Somewhere between the time of him getting lost in his thoughts and attempting to get some rest, Eli had actually managed to fall asleep. His eyes felt swollen, undoubtedly he'd been crying in his sleep again. His neck hurt from the strange position he eventually rested in. But he knew things could be much worse and putting it into perspective that way was enough to make him get out of bed.

His body was still sore in some areas but he'd come a decent way, enough that he could do the basics on his own without needing assistance of any kind. He was glad for that much. He didn't want any sympathy or handouts, far preferring to do things on his own.

His head throbbed as he yawned and walked across his hospital room to the bathroom door. Pushing it open he hit the switch, the dull fluorescent lights overhead making the most annoying buzzing sound. It drove him crazy but he did his best to ignore it as he moved to brush his teeth.

His appearance was still rough. His raven locks stuck out haphazardly. The gash above his eyebrow was still noticeable but had improved substantially over the week. His green eyes that usually held a sly spark to them were dull, the wicked flame now diminished and rendered nonexistent. He had grown colder than ever before in during his hospital stay. What he wanted most of all now was a cigarette, missing the taste of nicotine he'd been deprived of over the last week. If anything could stand of chance of sating him now, he knew that would do the trick, enabling him to relieve some tension he'd been building up for the past seven days. A part of him wanted out so badly but he wasn't sure where he would even end up.

Would he be a part of the system? A sudden orphan now left to wonder if someone would take mercy on him and let them into their home. He hated the idea of needing to rely on anyone but his options were few and far between. Perhaps a distant cousin or a long lost relative of some kind would catch wind of what had happened and take him in. It was farfetched but he needed to come up with some alternatives lest he be surprised by what they'd come in and tell them.

Once he was finished with his morning routine, Eli went back into his room, carefully lowering himself into bed and throwing the covers over himself. He wished that the room would swallow him whole and that he'd be able to disappear but luck wasn't on his side in that regard. Instead he lay down and listened to the low hum of machines, the occasional beeping of the monitors.

He had never felt more alone in his entire life. Now it wasn't by choice but rather circumstance, an outcome he wished more than anything that he could change.

He curled into a ball, assuming the fetal position as he shut his eyes tightly. He stayed frozen for a few minutes, enjoying the peace and quiet until he heard a knock on his door. Peeking out from under the covers, he spoke.

"Come in," he said tentatively, almost afraid of whom it might be.

He was sick and tired of being poked and prodded at. There was always a test of some kind that they had to do, MRIs and cat scans to check his head, countless needles to do blood work. It was exhausting and more often than not Eli looked forward to the pill they'd give him each night he complained of being unable to sleep. It was an endless cycle it seemed but Eli knew it couldn't last forever.

"Good morning, Eli," Dr. Rosen said as she entered the room, another woman in a pantsuit following in after her. "How are you feeling?"

Eli threw back the covers and sat up, eyeing the unknown woman cautiously before he replied. "Morning. I'm alive so I guess that has to count for something, right?" he quipped.

He could hear the edge in his voice but he didn't care to do away with it. In his opinion it was a stupid question to ask. He lost everything in one sudden movement. His family was taken from him and he knew he could kiss the life he'd known for seventeen years goodbye. As if the physical scars weren't enough, the emotional toll was excruciating. Nothing could ever fill the void that was left in his heart and mind, no matter how badly he would work towards it.

Dr. Rosen nodded once curtly. By now she was used to Eli's cynicism and biting wit. Sarcasm had always been something he was well versed in and now that he was going through the most trying time of his life, Eli couldn't help but keep it out of his tone, allowing it to color each and every word he uttered.

"Eli, I'd like to introduce you to someone. This is Alice Robinson and she's the social worker that's been assigned to your particular case."

Eli hated how formal this all was. This woman, Alice as she was called, didn't know the first thing about him. To her he was nothing more than a name on a file. He wondered how many "particular cases" she'd been assigned to, betting he had to be one out of a fair few. Already he was opposed to this but seeing as though he didn't have any other choice, Eli sat back and listened.

"Good morning, Elijah," she greeted him.

Strike one.

"I prefer Eli," he deadpanned, shifting in his spot. Dr. Rosen gave him a quick look but Eli chose to ignore it though he resigned to play nice. "Good morning to you too, Ms. Robinson."

Nodding once, she accepted his shortened version. "I'd like to start off by saying I'm sorry for your loss. I know it's a lot to process and as a teenager, it's a heavy burden to have to carry. But I am here to help. I know you have a lot of questions, namely what will happen to you once you're released."

It was all Eli could do to take his mind off that pressing issue but never to any avail. He didn't have much of a family outside of his parents and with them gone, it was anyone's guess where he'd end up once he was fit enough to leave the hospital.

"Are you guys going to stick me in foster care? I'll be legal soon and I won't have to stay with whatever family for long so I could just get out of their hair once I hit eighteen and be done with it," he interjected, bringing Ms. Robinson up short.

She held up a hand to stop his small rant and shook her head. "We like to avoid that route if we can, hoping to do our best to keep children within their families if at all possible."

"But I don't have a family anymore," he said stoically, his eyes falling down to the blue blanket that covered him. "It was always just me and my parents."

"We have arranged for you to stay with your godparents."

Eli flinched as if she had struck him though in essence, she really had with her words. The relationship between his parents and the Edwards' was strained to put it mildly. He hadn't heard about them in years, Cece quickly dispelling all talk of them when Eli inquired about their family. To his knowledge they'd had a falling out of some kind that drove a wedge between them after Eli had been born. His mother was never specific about it and Bullfrog remained tight lipped as well, respecting Cece's wishes by never indulging his curiosity on the matter.

It was the one thing that annoyed him at times about his parents. He wanted that mystery solved but it seemed like the secret had died with them. Although he didn't know what the issue was, Eli had to ultimately side with his parents and inherited their dislike towards the Edwards family. It might have been irrational but without probable cause, it was the only alternative readily available to him.

"I'm sorry…the Edwards'? I've never even met them before. My parents haven't spoken to them in seventeen years and now they're taking me in? I don't get it. What's the catch?" he asked, skeptical about this whole ordeal.

He wasn't sure what to make of this. Too much of his life was changing without his consent and it was working his very last nerve. But for a talk this important, pertaining to his fate, Eli knew he had to pay attention and do his best to handle this like an adult.

"Regardless of whatever discourse might have taken place back then, once they were informed about your parents' passing, they agreed to take custody of you. I know this is a lot to handle in such a short amount of time. If you need to talk to someone, we'd be more than happy to-"

"I don't need a shrink. I just…need a minute," he reasoned, dropping his head into his hands.

He drew in a breath and tried to piece everything together, forgetting all about the two women in the room with him just then. While he hated the thought of someone babying him, he was glad they were being patient with him. How was he to move in with people he was absolutely certain did not like him? Would the rivalry stand a chance of getting better or would it only be proven further by animosity on both ends?

Looking back up, Eli sighed and looked to the social worker expectantly.

"So what happens next? They pick me up and I'll be on my merry way to this new life?"

"Essentially. After you're released, they will be the ones to sign you out. As of now they are your legal guardians. You'll be getting out within a few days. They have a nice home and are perfectly capable of accommodating you," she assured, opening up the file she had with her.

As he had predicted, the manila folder had his name on the tab, Goldsworthy, Elijah. Eli tried to peer inside but it was filled with so many documents and forms that Eli wasn't quite sure how to decipher anything he was seeing.

"They have one daughter named Clare who is a year younger than you. Helen is a housewife but she also sells cosmetic products and Randall is a marketing executive," she said, glancing to make sure her facts were correct.

"Sounds like a blast," he mumbled, running a hand through his shaggy hair.

"It's for the best, Eli. I can promise you that much. No one could ever replace your parents but given the circumstances, this is the best option for you. As I mentioned before, you'll be leaving here in just a little while and the Edwards' will be able to provide a good life for you. I'll be back soon for another meeting but until then, take care."

Lacking a rebuttal, Eli simply nodded solemnly, irritated by it all but seeing there wasn't another option. He would have to adopt the grin it and bear it mentality. The bright side to this was that he had a few days' time to wrap his mind around it. The prospect of moving in with this family certainly wasn't the most appealing but Ms. Robinson was right. They weren't complete strangers, just unknown to him.

He knew better than to get his hopes up for some miraculous change. There was a reason why their families had stopped speaking and that wasn't something Eli was going to cast aside. Maybe it was just guilt that made them have a change of heart and take him in. He wasn't a charity case but he supposed in the eyes of this apparently well off family, that's exactly what he was.


	2. Seed

**Hello! Thanks from both of us for coming back to read the next chapter! **

**This chapter, we'll be in Clare's shoes for the first time. **

**Just as a note, it should be known that this story is extremely AU. As in, Clare and Eli's personalities are worlds different in some ways in comparison to the show. You'll see how that is in this next chapter. **

**Read and review if you like! Enjoy! **

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_Subjects are thrown around the room,  
Looking for the ones that got away  
A feeling of soft anticipation,  
Another confrontation I won't make.  
But how do we do it,  
We turned into something else entirely  
We fake it,  
But I wanted it so desperately to be real_

The blinds were torn back from the window briskly, allowing the squint-inducing sun to pour in. They hit Clare Edwards directly in the face, clawing a loud, spoiled mumble of discontent from her. She turned on her side, gripping the pillow from beneath her head and propping it on top of her face. It made for a fine shield from the sun's rays, ones she could only assume were there because it was well before noon.

As a rule of thumb, Clare didn't like to get up before noon on any day that she didn't have school. To her knowledge, the calendar read July eighteenth, or some date vaguely around those lines. Her mind was still a messy place to be, traces of her dreams and sleepy disposition fighting to bring her under once more, despite the rush of sunlight to her room.

"I said_ up_, Clare!" a voice boomed, ripping the covers back from her slumber filled body. She immediately wrapped her arms around her own torso and assumed the fetal position, greedy for whatever warmth she'd previously had in her possession.

Rolling onto her stomach, she buried her face into the pillow, feeling her curls falling on either side of her head. "Let. Me. Sleep." Clare grumbled against the soft surface, her voice muffled and drowned out to her mother, who stood near the bed. The covers were in her hands, being held ransom for the price of Clare slipping out of her primadonna sleeping habits.

"You're not the only one who didn't want to wake up early this morning, Clare." her mother, Helen, stated sharply, nudging her daughter's shoulder. "This isn't exactly my idea of an ideal morning but you need to get up. Chop, chop."

Finally she relented, turning over on her back and sitting up. Immediately her hands shot to her eyes, blocking the blinding rays from her blue orbs. "If this is for another Avon meeting, honest to goodness mom..." she trailed off, rubbing her eyes angrily.

"It's not, it's not. We're not due for another meeting until next Tuesday. And even then, it's not necessary for you to go so don't start with that, young lady. We both know you just enjoy the free make up."

A guilty smile painted Clare's lips as she nodded to herself. Everything had a usefulness if looked at from the right perspective. All too often, her mother saw through her motives, knowing that she viewed most outings as a means to an end. It was a characteristic she'd picked up from her, after all.

Clare saw opportunities and choices in terms of connections, those who could get her farther in life. Whether it was befriending that Katie Matlin girl only to take over her spot as head editor on the paper shortly after, or dancing with that boy two weeks prior at the country club to see if he truly was a good kisser or not – she knew how to manipulate situations and people to her liking.

(Much to her dismay, the rumors about his kissing prowess were nothing but lies. It took a gross, tongue-infested make out session to find that out. But now she was wiser from the experience. It was the only silver lining she could take away from the experience.)

Finally tearing her tiny fingers from her face, Clare adjusted to the obnoxious bright light filtering through her room, then looking to her mother. She was hunched over her dresser, picking through articles of her clothing.

"Um...mom?" She sat up from her bed, walking carefully over to a very concentrated and somewhat angry looking Helen Edwards, "I think we got past that you needing to dress me stage about eleven years ago."

While Clare found her own words humorous, her mother did not. She shoved a sundress into her hands, and continued to rifle around through the drawer. "You will wear this today. Now take a shower."

Pausing, she narrowed her eyes at her mother, refusing to move an inch until she clarified exactly what it was she was preparing for.

Helen craned her neck up at Clare, impatience overtaking every one of her features. From the deep grooves beginning to form in her forehead, to the mild bags hanging beneath her eyes, she could feel the exasperation oozing from her. "Did I or did I not just say_ now_?" Shoving a bra and a pair of underwear into her hands, Helen stood up and closed the drawer again. "Time isn't a luxury we have at the moment, Clarebear. I mean it when I say hurry up."

"But...why?" queried Clare, her brows furrowing at her mother. "You didn't tell me we had anywhere to go last night. Is something wrong?"

It was too easy for Clare to throw herself into a panic, seamlessly conjuring up circumstances where her mother or father would be in harm's way, or a scenario in which they would have to up and leave, abandoning the only life they'd ever known.

Needless to say, each imagining was more dramatic and grandiose than the last, but that didn't make them feel any less feasible to the oftentimes naïve girl. She was sheltered and uncultured, to put it mildly.

Blowing out a long breath through her nostrils, Helen blinked slowly, seemingly collecting herself before looking back to Clare. "I'll give you all the information soon, okay? For now, get your caboose in the shower and get dressed."

Realizing she wasn't about to get any more information out of her, Clare bowed her head at the white and yellow sundress in her hands. It wasn't her favorite in the least, far preferring anything of the blue variety that she owned but it wasn't a prime time to debate with her mother. She trudged off in defeat to the shower, but not before her mother barked out,

"And tame those curls, Clare Diana! I won't take you anywhere if you look like you don a beehive atop your head!"

She rolled her eyes as her fingers wrapped around the doorknob, letting herself into the restroom and then shutting the door behind her.

From behind the door, she could hear her mother's heels clicking against the hardwood floor, echoing all the way down into the living room. The slamming of her shoe wear at times was enough to strike some mild fear into her, reminding her that she needed to move quickly.

It wasn't the first time that her mother had set up plans and mentioned them at a moment's notice, expecting her to simply comply and follow along. For as long as she could remember, her mother had been doing things of that nature, dragging her along to impromptu baby showers or shopping trips. Clare was expected to follow along soundlessly each time, and she did.

After turning the water on and adjusting it to a reasonable temperature, Clare stripped off her pajamas, shoving them down the laundry chute immediately after.

At times, she wondered what made her blindly obey, why she hadn't been equipped with a moral compass that allowed her to directly rebel against authority, but the musing was always fleeting. Ultimately, it didn't matter why she obeyed. It just matter that she did.

As she stepped under the water, she quickly realized the water was scalding and attempted to adjust it, but found that the settings seemed to be scalding hot or freezing cold. Choosing the former of the two, she hurriedly washed up, rushing out from the steamy bath as quickly as possible. Even if she had been granted her happy medium, she wouldn't have had long to revel in it, what with her mother's demands to get dressed and ready to leave.

Clare grabbed a towel, quickly wrapping it around herself and then swiping one for her hair. As if on cue, a loud pounding could be heard through the door.

"We're running out of time! Get dressed!"

With a loud sigh, Clare realized she wasn't going to have any time to try and slip back into her room to find a better dress. After drying herself off as thoroughly as possible, she pulled the dress over her head, zipping the back of it up with slight difficulty.

About fifteen minutes later, or "fifteen minutes too late" as her mother frustratedly phrased it, Clare emerged from the bathroom. Her hair was blown dry, lightly tousled and only mildly frizzy. She wore a small amount of makeup, unsure of how much would be appropriate for whatever outing they were going on.

Her mom stood poised at the foot of the long staircase as Clare descended, holding a pair of flip flops in her hand.

"Great, now the hospital will think we have no regard for punctuality. Truly Clare, we're making a wonderful impression already."

At this, Clare's eyes narrowed, the word catching her off guard. "_H-hospital_? Excuse me? Is something wrong?" she questioned anxiously, only earning a light swipe at her flip flops from her mother in return.

"Put these on, we need to leave." she stated sharply, making it clear that she wasn't about to offer up more detail at the moment.

From around the corner of the banister, Randall Edwards appeared. Clare took the opportunity to hound him, hoping it would yield more results than needling her mother had.

"Dad, where are we going? And why so early?" Last she had checked the clock, it was eight thirty a.m. Her _nothing-happens-past-noon_ rule was in direct violation, and to say she was miffed about it would be an understatement.

Raising a quieting hand to her, Randall shook his head. "Just...wait until we get in the car, Clarebear."

Even he sounded defeated, as though her mother had badgered him into submission earlier. There was a withstanding anger in every one of her mother's steps, words, even her expression. It was something Clare couldn't comprehend if she tried; why her mother was so caught up in her own emotions for the time being.

Emotion was a rare thing in their household. Something that was all too often smothered and beaten down into their misshapen hearts. Forced to stay inside, where it didn't belong the greater portion of the time.

Despite the fact that this brand of emotion was a rash and angry one, Clare found it odd, but kept her lips pursed as the trio left their grand household. It was truly too lavish for their own good, spoiling each member of the family rotten. But the Edwards always stated it was something earned, not gotten without good reason. Clare's father earned enough to easily support them with money left to burn, which allowed Helen to lounge around the household, leisurely selling cosmetic products to the rest of the neighborhood.

Did the women who traipsed in and out of their home once a week _truly_ need them? No, not really. It was just the same as the way Helen didn't _truly _need to work to make ends meet. It was something she did because she could, because she had the choice. Clare got the feeling that if it really was a financial necessity, she wouldn't have enjoyed it nearly as much.

Nothing much was a true necessity to the people in their town. While she might have lived in one of the loftier homes around them, that didn't make the rest of the houses unimpressive by comparison. Clare had been born into a stable, successful home. It was something that, although she was reminded of constantly, she barely paid any mind to. It was easy to take her life for granted, as it was all she'd ever known. No privilege she'd ever had stood a chance at being revoked.

So it went on in much the same fashion, the inertia of the situation allowing it to continue on undisturbed. Nothing could mar or taint the spoiled simplicity of her life, or make it any more difficult than it ever had been.

Until a morning such as this one, Clare would later find.

As Randall started up the car and Clare buckled herself in in the backseat, she stayed quiet, attempting to pick up pieces of her parent's hushed conversation.

"How was I supposed to know a tragedy had happened? I haven't talked to her in...well I can't even round up how many years. We haven't talked in a long while." her mother huffed, crossing her arms much like a five year old put in timeout might.

Her father pulled out of the driveway and down the road, waving to neighbors and friends from the country club as he drove down the path. It was always smile and wave, smile and wave. It was even something Clare had grown accustomed to doing over the years, finding herself waving demurely to the familiar faces around them. Everyone was busy with their own lives, but not busy enough that they couldn't spare a few moments to be nosy about what their fellow neighbor was doing.

"Then why were you reached? Helen, I thought you made it clear that you wanted nothing to do with them."

"I did!" There was a small hint of trepidation in her voice, one that seemed to even shake her as she paused to collect herself. "Cecilia knew all too well that I wanted nothing to do with her. I couldn't have made my wishes more explicit if I-"

"Cecilia?" Clare broke in, recognizing the name vaguely but unable to place it to anything. She leaned forward in her seat, pulling the seat belt to give her some slack. "Who's Cecilia?"

Helen was struck with a sudden case of zipped lip at the inquiry, and instead her father answered. "The Goldsworthys, sweetie."

At the mention of the Goldsworthys, Clare knew to keep her mouth shut. The topic was a surefire way to upset her mother, so she learned over time never to bring them up. But the fact that she'd been shaken awake, told to get ready to go out and now the family was being brought up made no sense. What did they have to do with any of this?

"Well, what about them...?" prodded Clare, her curiosity getting the best of her though she aimed not to offend her already visibly distraught mother.

"They died." her father said simply, making a left turn and then stopping at a red light.

Clare felt her chest tense up her blood running cold. Though she didn't know who these people were, only small tidbits about them in passing, the mention of anyone passing away had an immediate effect on her. She was sensitive, despite her parent's efforts to mold her into a stoic protege of themselves.

"Except for their son, Eli." Helen broken in, shaking her head. "And now he's suddenly our problem."

"I bet you regret saying we'd be the godparents now, don't you?" Randall joked, looking to his wife for some sort of response that she too found humor in his words. But she didn't. Instead, she shot him a death glare.

"I certainly do, but it's too late to take it back."

The words were flying over Clare's head, confusing her more than offering clarity on the situation. "Wait, what are you saying?" she asked directly, looking to either of her parents for an answer.

Helen turned her head to her, looking to her as if she was the sincerest nuisance known to man. "We're saying Eli Goldsworthy is now our responsibility. Cece and Bullfrog," she shuddered for a moment, no doubt judging the unusual name, "passed away in a car accident. Eli is only one year older than you and, as his godparents, now we need to take him in."

She didn't sound the least bit pleased by this and truth be told, neither was Clare. All her life, she'd been an only child and the thought of having that situation shift was less than pleasant. It was a reality she never imagined would be thrust upon her. "He doesn't have any other family? Why us? How did they even reach us?" she spit out the questions in quick succession, her mother's anxiety beginning to rub off a bit on her.

Her father interrupted, sensing this. "Clare, this is the situation at hand. We talked to his social worker and he needs a home. We're the only viable option here." He sounded somewhat bored over the news, as if it hadn't taken long at all for it to sink in for him personally.

An awkward silence fell between them in the car as they neared the hospital, until she piped up once more. "Is he okay?"

In return, she got a shrug of the shoulders from Helen. "We'll see shortly, Clarebear."

* * *

The overly sterilized scent of hospital hit Clare like a brick wall the moment she wandered in behind her parents, attempting to keep up with both of their quick steps. She could tell they were eager to get in and out quickly, despite the fact that they'd be leaving with another human being in their ranks. The more Clare thought about it, the more it felt like they weren't even going to pick up someone. It was as though he was merely cargo, dead weight.

The notion sat uncomfortably in the pit of her stomach, until the nurse led them to the boy's room.

The first sight of Eli left her taken aback, rocking uncomfortably on her heels near the door. She'd never seen a boy like him before, and the fact wasn't something she necessarily comfortable with.

He had a noticeable chip on his shoulder, just about the size of a whole planet but she quickly chalked that up to his recent loss. Glancing to her parents, she couldn't even fathom how she would cope if she lost them both in the blink of an eye. It wasn't something she could fault him for, at least not yet.

Her parents busied themselves talking with his nurse and social worker, but Clare only picked up on tidbits of their conversation. For the most part, her blue eyes were fixed on his green, sizing him up curiously.

She took a tentative step closer, making her way around to the left side of the door. Her hands smoothed over her dress subconsciously, straightening out bunches in the material that weren't even there.

It wasn't that he made her nervous, no. His severe stare, the way his clothes were a bit haggard looking, his rough-around-the-edges demeanor, it couldn't be that. He didn't make her nervous in the least.

Except he did. _Extremely_ nervous.

It was the fact that she couldn't look into his eyes and get something out. So many of the people she grew up around and went to school with were paper thin, their motives and aspirations written all over them. Each person in her community seemed to wear their heart on their sleeves, but not this boy. She couldn't tell where he had his heart tucked away.

She wondered what influenced her to keep looking back. Eli made her feel on edge without saying a word, but there was a lingering urge to look on him, an itch she felt the need to discreetly scratch without his notice, hopefully.

It was the fact that he possessed an unprecedented beauty that most boys his age did not. His shaggy bangs hung over his face, sitting just above a pair of emerald eyes that made her body quake. To her, it felt like he could see straight through her, reading her movements and posture without exerting much effort.

Surely she knew this wasn't a real possibility, but the fact that he could even make her question it was unsettling.

Still, it didn't take away from his blatantly handsome appearance, one that was equal parts attributed to his distraught, tortured expression and his clothing. He donned an all black wardrobe, which would prove to be troublesome once they arrived back home. It was a brand of handsome she hadn't been around in her community, where button-up white shirts and neat hair cuts were abundant – unoriginal and overwhelming. No one stuck out like a sore thumb in the way Eli did.

But for now, contrasting with the obscenely white hospital room walls, she couldn't think of anything more aesthetically pleasing.

His stance was guarded, even his balled up fists registered to her as daunting. It wasn't as though she worried he would strike out, at least not with her parents right there. They had warned her not to start up conversation beforehand, ranting about how they might be able to find a loophole in it all once they arrived at the hospital. The bleeding heart in Clare still couldn't understand how they could even imagine passing him off to someone else after he'd just lost his family. While she knew very little about the situation, her conscience knew enough to let her know that such a move would be cruel, unfeeling.

Feeling at all took great effort for Clare in a community where such things were buried, but that didn't stop her from dabbling in it.

It crossed her mind to attempt striking up conversation with him, perhaps even a hello to break the ice despite their warnings. But before she knew it, they were being led out of the room, Eli trailing about ten paces behind.

Keeping her mouth shut while they signed the discharge forms, she stole glances at the boy, though he didn't return them. His stoic indifference to it all had to be a put-on, a mask in front of everyone else. How was he not a nervous wreck, influenced entirely by his emotions? Had she been in his shoes, she wouldn't have been able to collect herself in such a situation.

She kept having to remind herself that not everyone really _did_ react like she would. There was a whole world outside of her bubble, though she wasn't granted much access to explore it. Anyone who talked to Clare might have considered her extremely sheltered, a bit narrow minded at that, but it wasn't until she was put in foreign situations that she recognized it herself. At times it made her feel self conscious, as though she really was on the opposite side of the world, cut off from the normalcy everyone else experienced. It was the only time that she ever considered that perhaps there was more out there than her blind optimism.

But the thought was always short lived, and usually followed by a snotty inner musing.

This time it was the fact that he hadn't even said anything to her parents yet – the people who were so charitably about to take him into their home. She could only imagine the looks neighbors would give them when they wandered in with Eli. As though they were bringing a dirty dog into their home after he'd just spent a few hours rolling in the mud. The very thought had her cheeks scorching red, secondhand embarrassment already settling in.

After some banter with the nurse that, yet again, Clare paid no mind to, they were cleared to head home. Helen started off towards the exit in her angry stride, her father following shortly behind. Clare lingered a bit farther back, but not nearly as far as Eli, who loomed like a dark cloud over the three of them. If any joy could have been found in this unusual situation, this bizarre union, he would have been sure to suck the happiness right out of it. He had that sort of heavy presence, and it was already sickening to Clare.

The entire ride home, she fidgeted in her seat, creating as much space as she possibly could between her and the boy. Being near him at all made her squirm. While her parents could sit up front, acting as though Eli wasn't there at all, she was stuck sitting beside the haunt. The air around them felt heavier with him inside the car, noxious and suffocating.

She all but burst from the door when they arrived, ignoring the haughty comments from those around them that she had previously predicted.

For as much as she pitied Eli and his unfortunate circumstance, she quickly realized she couldn't stand his presence. Until he did something to change it, she knew things would carry on in much the same fashion.


End file.
